Early childhood administrators* are responsible for the overall operation of their programs and services. The roles and responsibilities of early childhood administrators are diverse, ranging from complete responsibility for program operations to shared responsibilities of specific operations or programs. Administrative roles may include managing the school/program, providing instructional and program leadership, and human resources. Among many other things, administrators are responsible for budgets, the safety of children, compliance to federal and state regulations, staffing, parent and family engagement, and collaborating with and involving community partners.
Unlike other school administrators, there is no formal training required of early childhood administrators in Minnesota. However, as this website or any seasoned early childhood administrator can testify, there is a lot to learn! Thankfully, we have a tremendous wealth of experience and knowledge among the many administrators in Minnesota.

The purpose of this site is to provide information and convenience for early childhood administrators. Whenever possible, this site will link to original sources of information. For example, there are numerous links that will take site users to the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) website. If information or resources are not available on another website, they may be posted to this website (e.g., if a user uploads an example of a document as a resource to other users). Always rely on original sources of information and your program's/organization's technical assistance support staff.

*Administrators may hold titles like coordinators, directors, or managers. Early childhood administrators work in a variety of settings and programs.

In the Spotlight

News

2018-19 Regional PreK-3 Workshops
Series of three day workshops being held regionally in Thief River Falls, Owatonna, Duluth, Little Falls, Fergus Falls, Hutchinson, and the Twin Cities metro.Click Here for more information

Parent Education and Family Life Education: A Critical Link in Early Childhood Education PolicyClick Here, scroll down for policy brief on NCFR website

The Role of State Boards in Improving Early Childhood EducationClick Here, Winona Hao, National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE)

Preschool Development Grant - Technical Assistance WebsiteYour access point to useful resources, technical assistance, and the latest news. Please explore the site and work with us to develop and expand the availability of high-quality preschool programs across the nation.Click Here

21st Century Child and Youth Development: The Science and Art of Helping Kids Thrive. David Walsh, Ph.D.Click Here for Flyer, January 16, 2017, Fergus Falls, MN

Implementing Parenting Interventions in Early Care and Education Settings: A Guidebook for ImplementationClick Here, from Child Trends

Compendium of Parenting InterventionsClick Here, National Center on Parent, Family, and Community Engagement

Don’t Forget the Families: The Missing Piece in America’s Effort to Help All Children SucceedClick Here, from Search Institute, www.search-institute.org/

Five Social Disadvantages That Depress Student Performance: Why Schools Alone Can’t Close Achievement GapsClick Here for Report, from the Economic Policy Institute

Check out the Essay Series on Character and Opportunity from the Brookings Institution!Click Here

Check out the ECFE Needs Assessment page

Click Here or click on tab on left tool bar.
ECFE Coordinators should have received the Community Needs Assessment guidance from MDE. If not please contact Mike Brown at su.nm.etats|nworB.P.ekiM#su.nm.etats|nworB.P.ekiM

What is a Wiki?

Purpose of this Site*

To serve as a hub, or a one-stop shop, for early childhood administrators in Minnesota.

To help connect the early childhood community and strengthen relationships between and among providers.

To provide a common space for sharing, collaborating, and learning about the administration and operation of early childhood programs.

Most importantly, to share ideas, resources, strategies, etc

*This site serves as a relay station, connecting users to original sources of information.

How to Use this Site

By definition, a wiki is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language. Early childhood professionals from a variety of programs/services are able to create and edit information in their areas of interest or expertise. For instance, if you have a link, resource or best practice that you would like to share with colleagues, you can add the information to this site.
Some organizations especially relevant to early childhood administrators are listed on the top tool bar. The left side tool bar contains links to topic-specific areas of interest.
In order to edit this wiki, you must log in. To create an account, click here.For instructions on Getting Started, click here - PDF with Step-by-Step Instructions

To Receive Notifications & Add/Edit Information

Important: Click on "Join this site" at the top of the page (in the gray tool bar) if you want receive update notifications, and/or be able to edit pages or add information.